[Dr. Tomek] "Arthritis affects different people differently.
The disease progresses at a different rate in everyone, and for a lot of people arthritis can stay very stable for years.
In other patients the arthritis progresses much quicker."
[Azell] "About 2, 3 o'clock, I could feel myself limping.
That's what bothered me the most. I didn't want to walk around limping."
[Dr. Tomek] "Knee osteoarthritis treatment often starts with lifestyle changes ...
weight loss, improving exercise, becoming more active ... in spite of the knee pain."
[Bill] "Right now with the exercises that I'm doing and with the cortisone shots and ibuprofen, it's helped me tolerate the pain.
So I can put off this surgery for a little while."
[Dr. Tomek] "If lifestyle changes, exercise, weight loss, over-the-counter medications don't work, surgery is something that we discuss with patients.
And the surgery that most often gets discussed is total knee replacement.
The major benefit of a knee replacement is that in the vast majority of patients it reduces knee pain, allowing patients to get back to activities that they may have avoided for a long time.
The downside of knee replacement is that a small number of patients may have a complication associated with the surgery.
The recovery after knee replacement varies between patients.
Some patients recover very quickly and get back to a point of walking and activities that, frankly, sometimes are surprising to me.
Other patients take longer."
[Susan] "Since the surgery, I don't have the strength that I would like to have in my leg.
It's probably a little better than what I had before I went in for the surgery.
I just never have gotten it all the way back to 100% of normal."
[Dr. Tomek] "In the long term as knee implants age, some patients may need another operation to replace parts of the implant that have worn out. Everyone is different.
Everyone has different motivations and goals with respect to their knee arthritis.
And the more that your physician understands this, the more they'll be able to guide you with your decision."
